


Winter Chills

by MissBarbieAnne



Category: Original Work
Genre: Cold, Coughing, F/M, Fever, Flu, Sickfic, Sneezing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-11-03
Packaged: 2019-01-27 03:28:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12572744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissBarbieAnne/pseuds/MissBarbieAnne





	1. Chapter 1

There was nothing that should have woken him, no loud sounds or bright lights. The room was dark and quiet, with nothing but the faint ticking of a clock to be heard. He was laying in the middle of the queen-sized bed, several blankets and a thick comforter piled on top of him. He had grabbed a couple extra blankets from the living room, since the weather was supposed to drop below freezing that night. It had already been 32 degrees out the night before when he had left work after finishing up his third 16-hour shift in a row.

Even with the extra blankets, he was still so _cold_. The shivers had aroused him from his slumber, starting in his chest and traveling all the way down to his toes. It felt like a chill had seeped deep into his bones and he could not get it out. He brought his knees to his chest, huddling deeper under the blankets, trying to make himself as small as possible. Yet, the chills still came, causing his body to seize up and tremble with each one.

Aggravated, Benson groaned and threw the blankets off and sat on the edge of the bed. He immediately regretted the abrupt removal of warmth, as his skin began to prickle and he wrapped his arms tightly around himself as the chills became more violent. He stood, grabbing a blanket from the bed and wrapping it tightly around himself as he slipped his feet into his slippers.

He shuffled into the living room, finding the thermostat and turning it up to a toasty 70 degrees. He never used the thing, not wanting to increase his gas bill, but it was absolutely freezing and no amount of blankets was going to help him now.

A tickle in his nose caught him off guard, and he quickly covered his face with a blanket as he let out two wet sneezes, followed by a thick sniffle. In his haste to find warmth, he hadn’t noticed the congestion and pressure forming in his sinuses.

“Nnngh…” Benson groaned, plopping down on the couch and tilting his head back to rest on the cushion.

He had been picking up so much overtime, now that it was Winter Break. Half of the staff at his nursing home was out sick with either the flu or bronchitis or something. It was spreading like wildfire, passing from resident to resident, and in turn, passing onto the Nurse Aides and Nurses. They were horribly understaffed and he figured, after having the flu shot and such a superb immune system thus far, he could pick up some extra shifts to help everyone out.

He now realized he was wrong.

“Hih.. h’ktchiew! Ugh,” Benson wiped his nose on the sleeve of his jacket, wishing he had been proactive enough to buy some tissues the last time he was at the store. Come to think of it, he didn’t have much of anything in his cabinets.

He forced himself to stand up and slowly made his way into the bathroom. He opened the cabinet and only found a single bottle of Tylenol and some Pepto-Bismol he had purchased after a trip to a rather questionable sushi restaurant. No cold medicine.

He shut the cabinet with a huff, mentally kicking himself for not being better prepared. He was supposed to be going to school to be a Physician, and he couldn’t even take care of a simple cold.

He chest clenched and he was thrown into a coughing fit, covering his mouth with a blanket-covered fist as he waited for it to subside. Dammit, he was still so cold! His body trembled as he stood there in front of the bathroom counter, and he glanced up to catch his reflection in the mirror. Dark bags underneath glassy eyes, a soft red flushing on his cheeks, red nose from wiping it with his rough sleeve.

He looked like shit.

He silently thanked the heavens that he had not picked up a shift today, wanting to give himself a break after working three double-shifts in a row. Actually, thinking back, he had not had a day off in over a week and a half. He was either working 8-hour, 12-hour, or 16-hour shifts ever since the holidays were over. He had 12 or more residents to himself to take care of, and his stress level was through the roof even without having homework to worry about.

He had had to cancel his date-night with Loghan last Friday because he had picked up a 2-10 shift. He felt guilty about it, and promised to make it up to her the following Friday.

Benson furrowed his eyebrows, his forehead creasing. He shuffled into the bedroom to grab his phone off the nightstand. He unlocked it, opening up his calendar to check the date. After working so much, had totally lost track of the time and date.

His heart sank a little when he saw the date: Friday, January 19.

Loghan was supposed to be over in the afternoon, and they were going to go out to eat and see a movie. She had been so excited; he did not want to disappoint her.

Another shiver traveled down his spine and he flopped back on the bed, burrowing under the many blankets. The heat had kicked on and he was warmer now. It was only five in the morning, giving him plenty of time to sleep before this afternoon.

 

Sleep did not help at all. If anything, it just made everything worse. Benson opened his eyes, feeling groggy as he tried to blink the blurriness from his eyes. His head felt like it had doubled its weight in the last few hours, and it was torturous to even get into a sitting position. But he had to sit up, because it felt like he had an elephant sitting on his chest. He sneezed several time, spraying the covers with a wet mist. Once again, he kicked himself for not having tissues as his nose began to drip and he sniffed miserably.

He knew he couldn’t go out like this.

With a sigh of defeat, he pulled up Loghan up on his messages, pulling his shirt over his nose to cover his sneezes. His eyes began to water and he sniffed thickly as he tried to type.

_Hey, love, I’m so sorry. I have to postpone our plans again. Something has come up and I will not be able to make it. I am so sorry. I love you._

He would spare her the gritty details. With a shaky hand, he put the phone down on the nightstand and leaned his head against the headboard. His head was pounding and he could feel the congestion shifting in his sinuses.

A few minutes later, his phone started ringing. The sound was like a drill to his skull and he quickly reached over to turn it off.

He saw Loghan’s picture on the screen. He couldn’t just send her to voicemail. With a sigh, he pushed the green phone button and put it on speaker so he didn’t have to hold it up to his ear.

“Hello?” He rasped, wincing at the harshness of his voice.

“What the hell, Benson? Did you seriously pick up _another_ shift?”

She sounded so angry. His heart sunk. He had not wanted to upset her.

“No, no, it’s not that…”

“Then what is it? It can’t be homework or school, and if it’s not work then what is it?”

“Loghan—“ He started but she interrupted him.

“I _miss_ you, Benson,” Her voice was quieter, but he could still feel the tension coming from the other side of the phone. “I haven’t seen you in two weeks. We don’t even have to go out, I promise. If you have to run errands or whatever, let me come with you. I just want to see you.”

Benson’s heart sunk. He missed her too, so much. It broke his heart to think about how upset she was right now.

“I mi- _hihh_ … I miss you- _Hi..e’sch! Hih-tchh!_ _Snf_ … _E’schh!_ ”

“Benson?”

Benson let out a couple wet coughs, sniffling as he pressed his sleeve to his nose. “I’b here,” He responded, his voice coated with congestion.

“Oh, babe, are you sick?”

He sniffed, sneezing once more. “It’s just a cold, don’t worry about it. I just don’t want you to get sick.”

In truth, he was pretty sure this wasn’t just a cold. He was still freezing, his hands and feet feeling like ice cubes, but he could feel an unnatural heat radiating from his face and body. The chill in his bones had been accompanied by an uncomfortable ache that made it hard for him to get comfortable.

“I’m sorry for getting upset,” Loghan’s voice softened. “Do you need anything?”

His mind went back to the absence of tissues and his bare medicine cabinet. He sighed.

“Actually, yes,” He admitted. “Tissues? And if you could, maybe some cold medicine?”

“Of course,” Loghan said. “Anything else?”

“No, that would be more than enough,” He replied. “But don’t come too close, just… leave it by the door or something.”

“Benson…”

“I’m serious. I don’t you you catching _hihh…_ catching this,” He sneezed three times into the crook of his elbow, letting out a soft moan when he was done.

“Okay, baby,” Loghan said. “I love you. I’ll be there soon.”

 

In the hour it took for Loghan to get there, his condition had already deteriorated more. He was a shivery, sniffling, sneezy mess. He had at least managed to move from the bed to the couch so he could get to the door more easily. He had dragged the comforter out with him, cocooning himself in it as he tried to stop the chills that kept wracking his body. It didn’t seem to be working. And worse, the chills were only aggravating the aches more, making hard for him to even shift positions.

He was in the middle of a rather violent sneezing fit when he felt his phone vibrate. With one hand pressed against his nose to stifle the sneezing, he opened the message.

_Hey, babe. The stuff is outside. I love you. Feel better._

With one last final, wet sneeze, his wiped his nose and stood up. His poor nose was bright red and burning, rubbed raw from the fabric of his sleeve. He held onto the arm of the couch while he waited for his vision to stop spinning. He should probably check his temperature, because he was 100% certain now he had a fever.  

Finally managing to stumble over to the door, he unlocked it and opened it up.

Loghan was standing on the other side, holding two bags from the drug store.

“Loghan…” He groaned, closing the door to it was just a crack. “I told you to just leave it there.”

“Babe, you are sick. I’m not going to leave you here alone.” Her tone was adamant, and he knew this was going to be an argument he just did not have the strength to fight.

With a defeated sigh, he opened the door and allowed her to enter. Loghan walked inside and deposited the bags on the table before turning around and pressing her hand against his forehead.

“Oh, baby, you’re burning up,” Her blue eyes shone with concern, and Benson just hung his head.

“I know,” He mumbled, coughing weakly into the blanket that hung over his shoulders.

“Have you checked your temp?”

He shook his head. Loghan sighed, moving her hand off his head and onto the small of his back.

“Go lay down,” Loghan guided him back over to the couch, helping him settle down and pulling the blankets tightly around his form. “I’ll be right back.”

Benson closed his eyes, suddenly feeling just a little warmer knowing that Loghan was here. As much as he did not want her to catch this, he also could not deny he needed her. He had not realized that until now.

Loghan returned, carrying a bottle of water, a box of cold medicine, a tub of vapor-rub, a box of tissues, and the thermometer from the bathroom.

“You didn’t need to bring all of this,” He was overwhelmed, his voice catching in his throat.

“You always do the same for me, love. I am just returning the favor,” She smiled, popping out two capsules and handing them to him along with the water. “Besides, how often do I get to take care of you?”

“Never,” He said after swallowing the pills. “I don’t get sick.”

“You can’t say that anymore. Now turn your head.” Loghan placed the probe of the thermometer in his ear, waiting for the beep. When it sounded, she pursed her lips, inhaling sharply through her nose.

“How high?” Benson asked, already knowing it was elevated.

“102.8,” Loghan read out-loud, setting the thermometer down on the table and placing her palm on his cheek. He shivered at the cold touch, but at the same time, it felt nice against his heated face. He leaned in slightly, letting out a soft sigh.

“That’s high,” He mumbled feeling sleep starting to tug at his consciousness.

“Benson, we need to cool you down,” Loghan removed her hand, standing up from where she was kneeling in front of him.

“No, I’m already so cold…” He whined, pulling the blankets tighter around him.

“You’re just cold because of the fever. If we can bring it down, you’ll feel better.”

Benson huffed, but he knew she was right. It still didn’t prepare him for when she draped an ice-cold rag over his forehead. His body immediately convulsed in a series of violent shivers.

“T-too c-c-cold…” He went to remove it, but Loghan held it in place.

“Babe, we need to bring your temp down. The medicine should be kicking in soon.”

He groaned, but left the cloth in place. The shivers died down and he began to doze off again.

Benson was just on the brink of sleep when he eyes fluttered open, an intense sensation building in his nose. He scrunched up his nose, teetering on the edge of sneezing and not.

Loghan noticed from where she was sitting in the chair adjacent of him. She had been reading while he rested, but now she saw he was awake and struggling to sneeze.

Finally, he was freed of the torment, and he buried his face into the blankets as he let out a series of ticklish, wet sneezes. Instead of helping, each one just built up the next one, and the fit continued past three, four, five, even six sneezes.

Loghan noticed how his body weakened, no longer convulsing with each sneeze. Benson had turned his head, no longer even bothering to cover as the sneezes leaked out of him. He had snot pouring from his nose, and finally, he let out the final one. He relaxed against the cushions, all his energy sapped out of him.

Loghan grabbed the tissues and pulled out three. She helped him sit up so he was leaning against her, then helped clean up his messy face.

“You don’t have to do that,” Benson protested, his voice just barely above a whisper.

“I know,” Loghan soothed, brushing his damp hair back after he was cleaned up.

“Loghan?”

“Mmm?” She asked, looking over at him. Benson had his eyes half-closed, and he was slumped against her.

“Will you… will you just lay with me?”

Her heart swelled. She could not remember a time that Benson was so vulnerable and open about needing her. It was adorable.

“Of course, my love.”

She leaned back against the back of the couch, and he repositioned himself so he had his head on her lap. But when that position didn’t help, she turned, her back against the armrest and her legs on the couch. He crawled up, resting his head on her chest so it was elevated and the congestion wouldn’t press against his sinuses.

Benson let out a content sigh and Loghan brought up a hand to brush his hair away from his eyes.

“Is that better?” Loghan asked.

Benson nodded in reply.

She let out a light laugh. Benson was six feet tall, and he knees were nearly brought up to his chest as he tried to fit with both of them on the couch. And he was still so hot, it felt like she had a heater on top of her.

But when she heard his muffled, congested snores, she couldn’t even bear the thought of moving him. Instead, she continued to brush his hair back and hum soft tunes as he snored against her chest.

 

Benson woke up hours later, when the sun had already set. Loghan’s legs were asleep and her shirt was damp from both her own sweat and his, but she didn’t care.

Benson woke up in a coughing fit, pushing himself off of her and shielding his mouth with a fist. Loghan stiffly moved so she could rub his back, blinking sleep out of her own eyes.

“Breathe, Benson,” She murmured, rubbing circles into his back.

Finally, it subsided and he groaned, leaning against her and pressing his head against her neck.

He was burning.

Loghan bit her lip. “Sit up, babe.”

Reluctantly, he brought up his head and sniffled. She cupped his cheek, feeling the heat rolling off in waves. She quickly reached for the thermometer, which was still on the coffee table, and poked it in his ear.

103.4.

“Babe,” She breathed, taking a deep breath.

Benson sneezed, sounding even more congested than before. He couldn’t even breath through his nose anymore, resorting to mouth breathing.

Loghan reached over and popped out two more pills, pushing the water bottle into his hand. “You need to drink, please.”

“Why?” Benson whined.

“Your fever spiked, Benson,” Loghan was trembling. She knew how dangerous it was if she couldn’t get his fever under control.

Benson whined again, but finally swallowed the pills. Loghan encouraged him to drink more water, not satisfied until he had downed half the bottle.

He started coughing again, the sounds coming from deep in his chest.

“Lean back,” Loghan instructed, helping him back against the couch but setting up the pillow so he was still sitting up. He tried to take a deep breath, but ended up coughing again with a hand pressed to his chest.

“This should help,” Loghan grabbed the tub of vapor-rub, taking out a scoop and placing it on his chest. The strong scent of menthol immediately hit her nose and she hoped it would help open up his chest and sinuses.

She rubbed small circles into his chest, and he sighed, tilting his head back into the pillow. Without noticing, she had started to hum again under the breath. She only noticed when she had stopped, and Benson placed a hand over her own.

“Keep humming,” He whispered.

Loghan stared at him. “What?”

“Keep humming, I like it,” His voice was barely above a murmur as he closed his fever-bright eyes.

Loghan started to hum again, rubbing the ointment onto his chest. She noticed how his breathing seemed less labored and his nose started to open up as the menthol made its way into his nostrils.

She also noticed when he breath started to hitch, and she leaned back just as his head snapped forward and he let out two powerful sneezes.

His head flopped back again. “Ugh, sorry. Sometimes the menthol makes me- _hih_.. sneeze… _h’etchu!_ ”

“Is it helping though?” Loghan asked, suddenly afraid she had made things worse.

“Yes, it really is,” Benson took a deep breath. “I can breathe.”

“Oh, good,” Loghan said, relieved.

She went into the bathroom, washing the menthol off her hands. She heard soft snoring from the living room and realized he had fallen asleep again.

Grabbing a new cloth, she wet it in the sink and headed back to the couch. She wiped the sweat from his brow, fretting over how the fever was still radiating from under his skin. It was coming off in tangible waves and she had no idea how to bring it down.

Loghan draped the cloth over his forehead, leaning over to kiss his cheek. His lips turned upward in his slumber, his face relaxed as he slept.

Yawning, she sat down in the recliner and opened her phone. 2:03AM. She hadn’t even realized it was so late. If she was going to have any energy to take care of Benson, she was going to need to get some sleep herself. With another yawn, she leaned back against the chair and was falling asleep in minutes.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Benson was dreaming he was on fire. It was burning his clothes, his hair, the flames and smoke threatening to choke him. He was coughing, his eyes watering as the smoke filled his lungs. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t catch his breath, he was being engulfed with the flames…

He could hear a voice calling his name, but he couldn’t see through the smoke. He tried to call out but was left sputtering and coughing as he tried to pull air into his lungs.

“Benson!”

He closed his eyes, letting the flames consume him.

“Benson! Wake up!”

Benson snapped his eyes open, rapidly pulling air into his lungs. He was sweating, his shirt soaked. It was beading down his forehead and his hair was soaked where it was smoothed back against his head.

Loghan had his face cupped in her hands, tears welling up in her eyes. “Oh my god, love, you scared me.”

Benson looked around. Nothing was on fire. He was safe.

His chest burned, and his throat felt raw. He must have had a coughing fit in his sleep.

He pushed himself up so he was sitting, and immediately he was consumed by dizziness. He held his head in his hands and waited for the room to stop spinning.

“Your fever spiked again,” Loghan’s voice shook. “It’s at 104.1.”

Benson stared at her blankly, letting the words sink in. 104.1.

“What time is it?” He asked, his throat feeling like he had swallowed razor blades.

“It’s 7AM,” She told him. “I fell asleep around 2, but I woke up to you screaming and coughing. It took me a long time to wake you up.”

Benson blinked slowly. His head felt like it was filled with cotton. He couldn’t think straight.

All he knew was that it was Saturday.

“I have to work today,” He mumbled. He needed to get up.

He attempted to swing his legs over the side of the couch, preparing to stand up, but Loghan was there in an instant, her hands on his shoulders to keep him down.

“You’re not going anywhere,” She shook her head, keeping her voice low and stern.

“I have to go! I picked it up and we are already short and—“ He was cut off by another coughing fit that had him gulping air back into his lungs by the end of it.

“You’re not going to be of any help if you pass out or become delirious from this fever. Which, by the way, I think you’re already halfway there.”

Benson sighed, having little to no energy to fight her. Even the effort of just sitting up was too much, and he opted to just lay back down and close his eyes.

Loghan watched him, a pit in her stomach. It was not like Benson _at all_ to give up in an argument so easily. She placed her hand on his forehead, met with the same burning skin she had been expecting. This fever needed to come down, that she was sure of. It seemed whenever it came down, it just came back even higher than before.

She grabbed the box of medicine, popping out a double dose.

“Babe,” She whispered, smoothing back his damp hair. He blinked up at her, his green eyes glazed over. “Here, let’s sit up so you can take some more medicine.”

Benson propped himself up on one arm, sniffling miserably as his nose started to drip. He let out three ticklish sneezes into the crook of his elbow; Loghan handed him a tissue which he gratefully accepted.

He took the pills and Loghan made sure he drank half a bottle of water before letting him lay back down. Within minutes, he was snoring with his mouth hanging open, his nose completely blocked by the stubborn congestion.

Loghan retreated back to the recliner, trying to squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep, but she couldn’t seem to doze off. She gave up close to 9AM and she kneeled back down beside Benson. She placed the palm of her hand against his forehead and was relieved to find his fever was back down. While she could still feel a lingering heat, he was no long burning up. The thermometer confirmed with a reading of 101.4.

 _I should probably run back to my dorm and get some things,_ she thought to herself, remembering she only came with the clothes on her back and the things from the drug store. She should probably run back to the store as well, and pick up some soup and Gatorade, and maybe some different medicine or fever patches just in case his temp spiked again.

She checked on Benson one more time, grabbing the spare key and promising his sleeping form that she would be back in just a couple hours. He snored in response, turning over to face the back of the couch.

 

Loghan returned close to noon, bringing along her overnight bag as well as a bag from the Walgreens up the street. She had picked up a box of fever patches and some medication to help his sinus congestion. Taking out her key, she unlocked the door, but couldn’t push it open. There was something blocking the other side of the door.

“What the?” She pushed harder, eventually gaining entrance. The chair that was barricading the door fell over.

She heard clattering in the kitchen. She set her bags down and slowly made her way down the small hallway.

“Benson?” She asked hesitantly. She glanced over and saw the couch empty.

“Who is it?!”

Loghan let out a sigh of relief. “It’s just me, babe.”

There was more clattering. She hurried into the kitchen.

The sight was not what she had been expecting.

Benson was kneeling on the countertops, a roll of aluminum foil in one hand and a roll of tape around his wrist. He had the aluminum foil stretched out between his hands and a piece of tape hanging from his mouth. He was obviously taping the foil over the window above the sink.

Loghan immediately noticed the scarlet flush stretched across his cheeks and her stomach sunk.

“Babe, what are you doing?” She spoke slowly, keeping her voice low.

Benson was focused on his work, holding the foil against the window while he applied the tape.

“I’m protecting us,” He responded, his brows furrowed in concentration.

“Okay…” Loghan nodded slowly. “Protecting us from what?”

Benson replied without missing a beat. “Aliens.”

Loghan let out a sigh. “Why are you protecting us from aliens?”

“Because they are coming!” He waved his arms in the air, the roll of tape falling down by his elbow. “I saw the lights in the sky and the noises! They’re looking for us! They’re coming!”

Loghan walked over to the counter.

“Okay, okay, calm down,” She took his hand and helped him slide off the countertop. When his feet hit the ground, he all but fell on top of her. She placed a hand on his chest to steady him until his head stopped swimming. She could feel the heat radiating even from under his shirt.

“Are you gonna help me?” He asked, his voice slurring slightly. His eyes were glassy and unfocused.

“Yes, I’ll help you. Let’s just sit down a minute, okay?”

Benson nodded and allowed her to help him over to the dining table. He slumped down in one of the chairs, turning his head toward his shoulder as deep, barking coughs consumed him. Loghan winced at how painful they sounded as she grabbed the thermometer from the coffee table. She took note that the sliding glass door to the balcony was also covered in tin foil and she shook her head. She should have never left him alone.

When she came back to him, Benson had his arms crossed on the table with his head resting on top of them.

“Are you okay?” She asked.

“Mmm… just dizzy. Head feels heavy,” Benson muttered, letting out a shaky breath.

Loghan found herself holding her breath as she held the probe of the thermometer in his ear, but when it beeped, she was surprised at the reading. It was high, 103.6, but she was expecting higher given his delirious behavior.

Then she remembered the extra dose of medication she had given him, and she mentally kicked herself. She should have known something like this could happen. Coupled with the high fever, the extra medicine just kicked him into full-on delirium.

Benson started coughing again and she rubbed his back as he pressed his forehead against his crossed arms, his shoulders shaking with each hacking cough. They sounded from deep in his chest, shaking his whole frame. By the end of the fit, he slumped over and she had to catch him before he fell out of the chair.

“Let’s go lie down, okay?” She put his arm over her shoulder, and they stood up.

“But the aliens…” He rasped, but his eyes were already sliding closed.

“We can worry about them later,” Loghan told him as she helped him over to the couch, wrapping the blankets around him before hurrying over to grab her bags from before. She opened up the fever patches and grabbed a Gatorade, then wet a cloth before returning to his side.

She gently dabbed the sweat away from his forehead as he mumbled in his delirious state. It was all nonsense, nothing that made any sense to her. He sighed in relief when she placed her cool hand on his forehead, leaning into her touch. When she went to remove it, he grabbed her wrist and blinked up at her with fever-bright eyes.

“Don’t,” He whined. “It feel so nice.”

She smiled down at him, cupping his cheek with her other hand. “Just for a moment, love.”

He let her go and she grabbed the fever patch, spreading it across his forehead. He sighed again, leaning into her touch as she applied it.

“Will you stay?” He murmured, so quiet she almost didn’t hear.

“I’m not going anywhere,” She promised, leaning in to plant a kiss on his cheek.

She sat beside him on the couch, and he cuddled up to her, leaning against her shoulder as he sniffled and coughed into the blanket. The congestion seemed to shift down with his upright position, and his nose was continuously dripping. Loghan grabbed the tissue box from the table and held it in her lap, wiping gently at his nose every few minutes as he fought through the sneezes. Each one was less forceful as his energy depleted, more of a miserable ‘ _eh’shuu…_ ’, followed by thick sniffling.

She could feel his body tense each time his breath hitched, but this time, it wasn’t followed by a weak expulsion. His chest continued to tighten, his body shaking with each hitch, but nothing was happening. With such a large buildup, she had prepared herself, holding three tissues in her hand, but still nothing. She watched his nostrils flare, his eyelashes flutter, for a good few minutes. After the long bout of hitching, she thought this was it, he was finally going to sneeze, but instead, Benson just let out a long, miserable groan.

“Nnnngh… it won’t… _hihhh!_ It won’t co- _hih…_ ”

Loghan suddenly had an idea.  “Hold on,” She said as she reached over and grabbed the jar of vapor-rub from the table. She unscrewed the cap, then held the jar right under his nose. His breath hitched, inhaling a large gulp of the menthol.

“ _Hihh_ \--ah!” Benson eyes shot open before his head whipped forward with a powerful ‘ _HI'KTCHEW!_ ’.

“ _Hi..e’sch! Hih-tchh!_ _E’schh!_ ” Benson turned his head into Loghan’s chest, muffling his sneezes against her shirt. His body shook with each powerful sneeze, the fit lasting several minutes. When he finally lifted his head, his nose was pouring, snot dripping down his upper lip to his chin. She quickly wiped his face with the tissues, not daring to look down at her shirt. She could already feel the wetness against her skin, she did not need a visual.

He tilted his head back, letting out a thick sniffle followed by a moan.

“Thanks… I guess,” He gave her a cheeky grin, and even with his fever-flushed cheeks and drippy nose, accompanied by the fever patch stuck on his forehead, he was still the most gorgeous man she had ever seen.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and Comments are encouraged and appreciated! ♥


End file.
